Munster’s Kilcoyne And O’Byrne Sign Contract Extensions
©INPHO/Dan Sheridan
Munster Rugby and the IRFU have confirmed that Ireland international Dave Kilcoyne and his front row colleague Kevin O’Byrne have signed contract extensions with the province.
Both players are products of the provincial pathway. Loosehead prop Kilcoyne has signed a three-year extension with hooker O’Byrne signing a two-year deal.
Limerick native Kilcoyne has scored 21 tries in 182 Munster appearances and has earned 39 Ireland caps, including five Rugby World Cup appearances in Japan earlier this season.
The former Ardscoil Rís student, who turned 31 in December, has featured in all 10 of Ireland’s most recent internationals.
A product of the Greencore Munster Rugby Academy, the UL Bohemians clubman made his senior debut against Connacht in December 2011 and won the British & Irish Cup with Munster ‘A’ in 2012.
Kilcoyne made his European debut in October 2012, away to Racing 92, and started in seven of Munster’s eight European Cup games that season. He earned his first Ireland cap against South Africa in November 2012 and made his Six Nations debut later that season.
He was named on the 2013/14 PRO12 Dream Team and featured in 30 of Munster’s 31 games that year. Kilcoyne’s 31 Munster appearances in 2016/17 were the highest in the squad and he earned a nomination for the GUINNESS PRO14 Dream Team in 2018/19.
Corkman O’Byrne has also signed a contract extension having scored three tries in 67 Munster appearances. A product of Highfield RFC, he captained the Munster Under-18 Clubs side for the 2008/09 Interprovincial campaign and was part of the Highfield Under-18s’ All-Ireland title-winning squad in 2009.
He has also lined out for PBC, UCC and UL Bohs and made his Munster debut against Edinburgh in September 2014. O’Byrne played a key role in the Munster ‘A’ team’s British & Irish Cup-winning campaign in 2016/17 and was a try scorer in the final win over Jersey Reds.
His Champions Cup debut came against Racing 92 in October 2017 and he went on to make his first European start in the victory over Leicester Tigers at Welford Road two months later.
O’Byrne was the man-of-the-match winner on his first two starts of last season and made a career-high 18 appearances over the campaign.
Continuing his fine run this season, the 28-year-old front rower has played in all six Champions Cup pool games and featured in 18 of Munster’s 19 matches so far this term.